The Price of Freedom
by Heelo
Summary: The Fleet is gone. New Caprica is under Cylon rule. When a cylon is killed on New Caprica, is the Price of Freedom the human race? After LDYB Part 2. Please Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1

**The price of freedom**

She looked through her window at the rainy day. New Caprica was dark now; darker than ever since they'd arrived. Who'd betrayed them to the Cylons? They'd probably never know. It had been two weeks since now-president Baltar surrendered and we were left by the Battlestars Galactica, Pegasus and the civilian fleet they had once been part of. They were told not to challenge the Cylons, they would be left alive if they didn't resist. They all knew it was rubbish – The Cylon's didn't need a reason to bomb the colonies, why could they be expected to keep their word in this case? Either way, she was sick of the occupation. It had already gone on too long.

After moving into orbit, the Cylons began to prevent any traffic, radio or physical, from leaving the planet. Though, at the time, it had been considered a great idea, moving to New Caprica was now widely regarded as a bad choice by the populace. The human Cylons were the worst. They were indistinguishable from the normal humans; the only difference being their cold, emotionless attitudes towards the tin cans that walked amongst them.

Toaster was not a name that was "sanctioned" by the Human Cylons, utterances led to punishment. However, this hadn't stopped some of the more hostile and aggressive members from defying. Kara Anders had been publicly beaten twice and her husband, though he attempted to protect her, was too weak and couldn't. It was wrong but not many of them had the bravery to even contemplate going up against them. However, Shereen was of a different mind. She was from the original Caprica and had been on board a Civilian liner. Now she was reduced to house confinement for fear of being reprimanded.

President Baltar, being the wretch that he was, allowed these daemons to continue their reign, even though he knew the consequences; there were even rumours that he may be a Cylon, or at least a sympathiser. Everyone knew and understood that on board the Battlestars, both of the commanders would be planning a rescue mission and when that day came, unless the civilians were prepared, they would all be killed by the machines in an efficient and brutal way.

She watched for many minutes. Watched as the machines patrolled an empty marketplace, seemingly just because it could. However, after a few minutes, she noticed they began entering tents, accompanied by Human Cylons and re-emerging, dragging screaming humans.

Though she knew watching was dangerous, she couldn't take her eyes away. She watched as a man was knelt in front of a Human form Cylon. A woman with blonde hair and blue eyes spoke a few words to which the man didn't reply. With only a glance to a tin can, it opened fire and killed the man.

Battlestar Galactica

Lee traversed the corridors and passageways that once again were filled with life. Though they weren't all experienced, they were better than nothing. People had been drafted from anywhere and were now playing the role of military officials. Bill Adama had called Lee to his office, along with acting XO Karl Agathon. Between them, they needed to formulate a plan that could remove the Cylon's strangling grip of New Caprica without killing hundreds of innocents.

Lee entered; slightly late as was often the case, but he entered to see the meeting hadn't begun.

"Good evening," Lee said to them both "I trust everything's okay."

"Okay?" Bill questioned, almost a hint of annoyance in his voice "We've just been driven from the human race, with no way to get back there!"

Lee noticed the icy-ness and wasn't sure how to respond, luckily Karl broke the ice.

"Admiral, I'm sure he only meant health-wise," Helo started "However, it is important that we work this out, and fast. Any ideas?"

"Not one." Lee admitted.

"Well, I think just jumping in would cause a lot of un-necessary death." Bill said.

"What about planning it in co-ordination with the planet?" Karl suggested.

"How would we even attempt that?" Lee wondered

"If we could just get a message to Kara or Tigh, we might be able to organise a resistance movement and incite a rebellion at the exact moment we jump in."

"It's still too risky" Bill said, always playing the voice of caution.

"How could we change the odds?" Lee asked, he knew it was a stupid question but he wanted to know what the response was.

New Caprica

The president sat, awaiting Six. Could she really be who she claimed to be? The woman he had been… he had fallen in love with. How could it be? He smiled as she entered the room.

"Good evening Gaius" she said, "How are you finding Cylon rule?"

"It's an… Interesting experience" he replied, slightly shakily.

"You don't need to lie Gaius. You hate this."

"I, I don't hate you being here, just your way of doing things."

"For example?"

"Public beatings, murder, blockades; need I go on?"

"Unfortunate, but not arbitrary." She replied, "They all committed a crime against the Cylons."

"And why shouldn't they?" Gaius questioned "You came here, under a flag of peace and now, you occupy the planet, beating and killing those who do not support you!"

Six looked taken aback. "Do you really believe this?"

Baltar looked deep into her eyes, he saw the warm chill of her glare and he began to question what he was saying. He was turning against the occupation force!

"There are those who do."

Meanwhile, in the streets, the man who had been shot was carried away by other New Capricans. There and then, there was great hate, perhaps even greater than before. They were easier to like when they had no hate-able qualities. Shereen stared, she stood by the window and watched as the man's life was extinguished and the starving, weak civilians were forced to carry the corpse away from the area.

From her window, Shereen saw it all. Cylons and humans, every human seemed to know her, every Cylon seemed to ignore her. She considered it to be a blessing and returned to her tasks.

The Fleet

She sat. She didn't know what was going on and wasn't sure she wanted to. Lee had been gone for a long time now, he was a great tactician and she felt much safer when he was her CO. Dualla had moved to the Pegasus when they'd began to move to New Caprica. She was now serving as an XO, in fact, when Lee was gone; she was pretty much the only officer.

Nervously she watched the hours fly past, one then two, waiting for his return. Anxious to hear news of the plan, she couldn't wait another week while the Cylons were occupying and enslaving New Caprica.

"Commander on Deck" Someone uttered half-heartedly from the back of the bridge. Lee hated that, you'd think the man would've learnt that by now but still, he insisted that procedure be followed.

"Dee, can I talk to you for a minute?" Lee asked her softly,

"Are we? Are we going back?" She asked, desperate to be re-assured.

"They'll never see us coming."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

New Caprica

President Baltar sat in his office, contemplating the conversation he had just had. He had very nearly gone against the Cylons, very nearly stood up for what was right and told them to get the hell of New Caprica. He didn't. Why didn't I? He thought to himself.

"They'd never leave Gaius" said a voice, he looked around and the Cylon was back, this time talking in a much friendlier, human voice. She was in his head.

"Well maybe we need to force them, they can't be that tough."

"Don't be a fool; you might get out of your door before you were shot."

"But at least I'd die as a human, not a conspirator to destroy the human race!" he shouted.

"Gaius," she said "You'll always be a conspirator to destroy your race; you were the one who allowed me to deactivate the defences."

He went quiet, clearly, being reminded of his failings in the past, struck him hard. He looked away.

"Go." He commanded, "I don't want you here, you aren't real – you're an expression of my subconscious, the part of me who only cares to save myself." She smiled, glanced a look to him and disappeared. Her last words burnt into his memory.

"Who are you Gaius? A Cylon or a human? Choose."

The Fleet

Bill Adama, still shocked by the Galactica's sudden injection of new recruits, walked to the hangar deck. In less than a week, they needed to be ready to re-take New Caprica. When he arrived, he was met by the young blood that had taken the place of his experienced pilots.

"Commander on deck!" came a voice. Unlike Lee, Bill liked the procedure; it helped to keep things clear.

"At ease" Adama said, allowing the man to lower his salute. "All of you, I'm going to be asking an awful lot from you soon. I brought you all here because of prior experience or attitude. Either way, that doesn't make you prepared for a mission like this. You can of course back out; no one here will think any less of you."

"What's the plan sir?" asked a new Raptor pilot.

"We're going back to New Caprica. The Cylon's aren't expecting us, we're going to use the FTL drive to get us in to the vicinity, engage the fleet with the Battlestars whilst raptor crews and any civilian ships that can land will be landing, fending off the Cylon's and getting as many people off of the planet as possible. Not all of you will come back, if you accept this mission, in ten minutes of jumping in, we suspect that if we haven't won, we may have to pull out."

"Sir, how are we going to pull off a ground assault if they're ready for us?"

"I'm sure you've all heard of Kara Anders. Colonel Saul Tigh. Samuel T Anders. President Laura Roslin. Chief Tyrol. None of them will have quietly accepted the Cylon regime. Hopefully there's some kind of resistance movement on the surface, we are going to give them the chance to rise-up, with support. Again I repeat; anyone who doesn't want to join in, take a step back now."

No one moved a step.

"Okay," Bill said "This will be the biggest and toughest challenge you will ever face. Those of you who have never engaged in space combat will be flying raptors, delivering marines. Those of you who are trained, will fly vipers to stop the Cylon's raider attacks. Marines, a large amount of you will be training to fly vipers. Why you might ask? Well, that's where we have to be quick. We need our best people in the air. Marines, you will launch the second we arrive at New Caprica, you will fly your vipers directly to the planet's surface and find our trained pilots. Get them in the air as fast as you can then engage the Cylons."

There were murmurs and nods of agreement, people clearly agreed with the plan.

"Any questions?" Bill asked

"Sir," a young recruit said "What about the Pegasus, I heard it hasn't fully been re-crewed?"

"The Pegasus is running skeleton crew so we can get the most people in the air, Galactica herself will be at low crew levels as soon as people are gone. There's a chance that one, or possibly both, Battlestars will be destroyed in the battle, the human race cannot afford to lose the full crew compliment of even one." The men nodded and Adama spoke again "Get to it."

New Caprica

"Shereen, Shereen come quick!" said a woman entering her abode, "The Cylons have apprehended Kara!" Without another thought or word, Shereen rushed out of her door. Why would Kara have been arrested? Everyone knew Kara's disgust for the Cylons but they'd promised that, so long as they were left to get on with their business, the Cylons would leave the humans alone.

"What happened?" she whispered to a man whom she later recognised as Saul Tigh.

"She killed one." He replied.

"A Cylon?"

"Leoban. He was seen entering her dwelling and never came back out. His neck was broken."

"Was it her?"

"Does it matter? They'll shoot her anyway!"

"Is there nothing we can do?"

"We can watch, learn and hope the Cylons don't decide to find vengeance for him."

They were interrupted. As Kara was thrown down, someone could be seen running through the crowd. In the small clearing, a tin can model Cylon was standing over her, gun ready. It took aim, locked and in the split second before firing, was knocked to the ground by a speeding blur.

"Run Kara!" Shouted a man, whose voice she could identify as Sam. She watched in horror as he, in his ill state, wrestled the mechanical killing machine. "All of you go!" He screamed at them. They stayed for a short while, their eyes transfixed on the location in which Sam was fighting. No one tried to help him, Kara was beaten and could barely walk and the others were all too scared. The crowd began to disperse. It could only herald the arrival of more Cylons.

"Sam" she weakly groaned before collapsing back to the ground. Shereen grabbed her and lifted her up. Unwittingly, she had become part of an active rebellion. She got Kara to the house, just in time to see four other Cylons lift and throw Sam from their comrade. He slid across the ground and was beaten, over and over.

Shereen saw everyone run, she saw them abandon Sam to his fate and they seemed to be afraid to go near to her, they were all avoiding coming close to her tent.

She was far too involved to turn back now.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Fleet – Battlestar Pegasus

Lee and Dee had been together for a long time. Their relationship was often rocky and had been tested over and over again. First, Billy had died. That put a massive strain on things, Lee didn't truly know whether Dee wanted him or wanted a replacement for Billy. But then, his main reason was that he didn't know whether he wanted Dee or the other woman in his heart. Since Anders came back, things got easier. He lost his contact with Kara; they slid apart and then came their cataclysmic crash that threw them both so far apart they hadn't talked in almost a year. Even so, a part of him still yearned for her, still dreamt of her and still wished that he was the one whom she had married.

Dualla, though a lovely woman, beautiful and smart, was Lee's second choice. Why? Probably just because she came second; she had helped him escape from jail and was a great help to them all. But still, she came second. It seemed to Lee like Kara had always been there, been his. Then, in a flash, a blink of the eye, she left and returned a broken woman. She had met a guy, someone she liked so much; she couldn't function not knowing whether or not she'd find him alive again.

The Pegasus command deck was filled once more, they had to maintain a level of procedure. It was strange, he'd convinced himself that he loved Dee and he missed not being able to follow the routine that they'd become accustomed to.

The Pegasus was a different place now life had been re-infused. When Lee had finished briefing everyone of their plan, he dared a glance to her and met her eyes. She seemed cold, clearly keeping to the letter of the rules. Lee, following her example, looked back to his work and continued.

They were preparing for their strike. Being the most advanced and outfitted Battlestar, they were the main guns in the fight. Therefore, they needed to be ready to arrive and open fire instantly.

Their automated systems couldn't be worked. It was unfortunate; however, Lee was willing to choose battery gunners to fire for them. The Cylons could easily hack any network that they set up.

He began the arduous task of deciding who he wanted on his fire team.

New Caprica

Kara awoke to darkness. She looked around her.

"Sam?" she murmured

"Keep quiet Kara, my name is Shereen. We rescued you, I took you to my home until they began their search, and we're now at the base of the New Caprica resistance."

"Sam?" she repeated

"Kara, stay calm, you're going to be okay but you have to keep quiet."

"Sam?" she screamed

"Kara!" Shereen shouted back, covering her mouth with her hand. "Listen to me, we will all die, all of us if you don't quiet down. There are patrols above us even now."

"Please," Kara said, tears beginning to stream from her eyes, "tell me where Sam is."

Shereen looked away; she had hoped that this wouldn't come up so soon.

"Kara, he saved you."

"Is he here?"

"No Kara. He held them off so we could get you away, they… Well, they killed him publicly. I'm so sorry Kara; there was nothing that could've been done."

"You're wrong." Kara said, clear anguish in her voice "You could've stopped them; there are enough of us here!"

Shereen looked away; she wasn't ready to explain to a distraught woman why her husband wasn't saved, though he could've been; though he should've been.

New Caprica – President's office.

Gaius was still shocked. What had she meant? He wasn't a Cylon! But then, was he really a human? He had betrayed his race, and why? Because he was led by his trousers. It was too late to gain redemption, Gaius thought, and then it hit him. Was that what she had meant? Was his in-action now the same foolishness that had destroyed Caprica?

He stood, looked around his office. There was nobody around. He still wasn't certain that there was anything he could do. Contemplating his options, he paced the office. Paced until interrupted, someone ran in. He recognised it to be an aide that he had seen around every so often.

"It's happening Sir!" the man shouted.

"What?" Gaius replied

"The Cylon's they've killed someone!"

"Are you telling me that the Cylon's have broken their agreement?"

"No sir, they've kept it. Kara, she killed one of them."

"And now she's dead?"

"No, no one knows where she is. The Cylons are demanding that we tell them."

"Listen to me you idiot, I want to know who was killed."

"Samuel Anders, Kara's husband."

Gaius had to take some time to think. If he didn't find Kara and turn her over, the Cylon's may try and kill the entire human race and he wasn't certain that the fleet would return to help save them. If he did find Kara and turned her over, perhaps he would truly be more Cylon than human.

Then, he was interrupted by the entrance of a Cylon. It wasn't Six, it was one of the "8" models. The one that was called Sharon.

"Where is she?" Sharon demanded

"I don't know" Baltar answered honestly.

"You're lying!" she shouted

"No, with my hand on my heart, I promise you, I do not know where Kara Anders is hiding!" Gaius exclaimed with a definite sense of panic in his voice.

"Find her. These are your people, apparently, find her and bring her to us or within 5 days or New Caprica will burn. Don't take this lightly Mr President, we will do this." With that, she left the room. Shortly after the aide followed. Gaius was left, drowning in his own personal ocean of fear and doubt.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

New Caprica

"Find her."

"But, we haven't a clue where she is, she could be anywhere on the planet."

"You will find her, and you will bring her to me."

"Why do you want her so badly?"

"Because," Gaius answered "If you don't, we are doomed!"

The raising of his voice let the man know he meant business. Gaius was blatantly displaying his anxiousness and it made his aide feel insecure. However, the aide knew that disobeying the president was a bad idea. The aide hurried out of the office. Looking out of the window, Gaius could see that the aide had gathered together a team to search.

He turned and there, once more, was the attractive blonde figure that had haunted him for so long.

"Don't worry Gaius, you made the right choice." Six said

"I know."

"Bringing her to us is the best thing for your people; she'll have a quick death."

"I'm not"

"What?"

"I'm not bringing you Kara Anders; she's the best hope to save our people from you!"

"What are you doing Gaius?"

"I'm taking your advice; I chose to be a human being."

"Gaius - why!"

"Because it's the right thing to do; for so long I've faced the soul-destroying thought that I was the instrument of the people's destruction. It's time for my redemption and, live or die, I will see this through!"

The Fleet

After training had begun, the pilots and trainees of the fleet found 14 hours of each day flying. They were each learning their specific skill. Whether it was landings, combat or flying formation, they were doing it.

From his window, Bill could see them all; dancing in the sky. Though he was optimistic that their plan would work, Adama knew that there was a good chance that they would all die. That was a very sobering thought. Any of them that died, Bill felt was on him. He could've prevented Baltar from becoming president. He had the opportunity. But, given the chance to do things again, would he sacrifice his principles for the chance to stop all of this from happening? He doubted it. There was nothing more important to him than the way he, and all of his family, respected the rules and principles that the human race was founded upon.

There was a knock at his door.

"Who is it?" He gruffly asked.

"It's Karl"

"Please, come in."

Helo, or Karl, entered the room. He crossed the floor and sat on the chair that Adama had in the corner of the office.

"How can I help you Mr Agathon?" Adama asked

"Sir, I have to request that I can switch places with a raptor pilot."

"Karl, I need you on the bridge."

"Sir, please. You've been good to me since I arrived. You trusted me, you took in Sharon; you looked after her while she was pregnant and did everything you could to save our child. I don't blame you for what happened to her but please, I can't sit this one out on the command."

"It'll be dangerous out there."

"I know."

"And you're sure?"

"Yeah"

"Good luck out there Karl."

Helo stood up and walked to the door. He turned around.

"Sir," he said "Can I see her?"

Adama hesitated, clearly thinking; soon after he gave a slight smile.

"Yes, I'll clear you for your flight over there. Go now. And Karl, find someone to switch with before you go – I need someone with experience if possible."

"If it's possible sir, you'll get one."

He walked out the room, a smile fixed onto his face. He had gotten everything he wanted. Adama watched him leave the room. He really loves her, he thought. Could humans and Cylons have gotten along if things had gone differently between them in the past?

New Caprica

A man ran into the room.

"Shereen, we've just heard, the president has asked for help finding Kara. If they find us, we may have a problem. I think he may be working for the Cylons."

From the shadows, another voice could be heard. As the woman walked forward, it became apparent she was addressing them.

"Gaius Baltar is a creepy bastard and cannot be trusted. I'm almost certain that he must have had something to do with the massacre on the colonies. However, for once, I cannot believe that he would betray us to the Cylons."

"But Ma'am, why would he order her found if not to turn her over to the Cylons."

Another man entered.

"It's 'coz he wants to have control. He doesn't have to have decided which way to lean just yet; he still hasn't lost all hope of bringing this to a solution favourable to him. Bill will be here soon, he'll get us out." The man was recognisable as Saul Tigh.

From the bed, Kara could be heard stirring.

"He can't find me," she said, now sitting up in the bed "I know that Sam will rescue us."

"Sam?" Saul asked.

"Lee" she corrected.

"And how do you suppose they will do that?" asked the man Kara didn't know.

"Peter, they'll come. They wouldn't abandon us here." Shereen said.

"Either way I would say that we need to begin bringing in more people we trust." The woman said. As she stepped into the light, Kara realised where she knew the voice, it was Ex-President Roslin.

"Get Tyrol" Kara said. "He'll be able to tell you who we can trust."

"I agree" Saul said.

One by one, they left the room to go about their tasks, leaving Kara to rest and Shereen to carry on preparing a meal for the resistance fighters.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Battlestar Pegasus

Lee was carrying out his routine checks. It was a tradition. He didn't really need to, he'd spent most of the week doing it but it passed the time and allowed him to keep his mind off the colossal task that they were to face in the coming days. They were effectively training an attack force in a matter of days to carry out an attack that even the veteran pilots would find very tough. He wanted to be out there, fighting fire with the other pilots but Lee knew that he was more important on the Pegasus.

He noticed that Dualla had just come onto the deck. Shooting her a quick smile, he was hoping that she'd come over to talk to him. She didn't. He was a little put out. He expected that she'd want to talk to him at a time like this. Why didn't she?

He decided that they needed to talk.

"Dee" he said softly

"Yes Sir" she responded formally, again Lee was surprised

"Can I talk to you in my office?"

"Yes Sir" she said again.

Lee walked over and opened the door, allowing her to walk through before entering himself.

"What's the matter Dee?" Lee asked

"Lee you know what's wrong."

"Oh, this isn't about Kara again?"

"Come on Lee, we both know you have feelings for her! That's why I insisted we stay here. Things were fine when she was on the planet and you were here, when she's back you know what'll happen. You'll brood again, regressing to the depressed state you had when she returned from rescuing that Pyramid player."

"Dee, you know I love you"

"I know you love her." Dee replied

"Look, how can I prove to you that I don't have feelings for her?"

"Ignore her when she comes back – I don't want you two to see each other."

"I can't promise that! She's my friend Dee and we work together."

Dee glanced a stare at him, clearly showing that she wasn't happy with his responses. Her cold stare was enough to let him know that she wasn't going to compromise.

"Dee…" He started

"Don't Lee. Just don't." she said, before leaving the room. Lee remained stuck to the spot. He did care about her. Although, he always knew that Kara had a special place in his heart. She knew that, so did Dee.

New Caprica

"Six," Three said "Any news on Kara's whereabouts?"

"None."

"You must have some idea!"

"Gaius may come through for us yet."

This Six model knew Gaius Baltar well; after all, she had had a very close relationship with him on Caprica before she was killed. Although she wasn't the only one who had had a relationship with a human, however, she was considered the most stable. "Sharon" as the other was known, was a sleeper agent. Without knowing, she had been programmed to shoot William Adama. She completed her mission, however, Adama had survived. Sharon had not. After the troubles she'd caused, a woman from Galactica shot her.

The eight models were always considered to be the least stable. One of them was believed to be within the fleet, actually helping the humans to survive. The thought had actually occurred to Six, they'd probably accept her if the president did and Gaius would certainly shelter her. After all, she loved him and, surely he'd love her back, she saved his life on Caprica.

3 Days Later – New Caprica

Kara was now up and about. She was traversing the corridors of the resistance base, knowing it wasn't safe for her to step outside; in fact, it may not have been safe for any of them.

Since the events Kara set in motion, more and more people had discovered the resistance and more had joined than ever. Shereen found herself constantly catering to the needs of them, although, she now had a staff who helped her to feed and clean for them.

From below ground, very little could be heard from up above, however, when an explosion rocked the ground, it was clear to everyone that something had happened.

As an act of instinct, Kara ran to the exit. Then she remembered. She couldn't leave. From behind her, Tyrol came running up behind her. He charged through the door, desperate to find out what was happening there.

A minute or two later, he re-appeared.

"They… They… The bastards bombed a housing district nearby." He said. "There are definitely casualties!"

"What was their target?" Kara asked

"I don't know, there are some pretty important homes around there."

"Who lives there?" she asked

"Laura, the Tighs, President Baltar." He replied

"Get up there, find them!"

Tyrol shot back up the hatch, followed by a large number of others. They slipped into the town under cover of dark, searching for the devastation. Tyrol soon found it. There, in the corner of a street, stood the remains of three or four homes, some on fire, one of which he recognised to be the Tigh's.

He ran as fast as he could. Climbing the rubble wasn't easy and dodging the flames was not something he wanted to be doing. He soon found a way inside and found them. Both of them were in what served as the kitchen. He grabbed Saul and carried him out of the house. He placed him onto the paved surface and checked for injury. Soon, an explosive movement occurred in Colonel Tigh's legs and he regained his consciousness.

Tyrol smiled in relief, turned and saw someone climbing the rubble already, going after Ellen.

"Don't worry Saul; everything is going to be alright." Tyrol said.

Tyrol and Tigh both turned, waiting for the man to reappear. It didn't happen. Instead, what was left of the structure buckled, collapsing inwards and reducing what little was left, to a pile of rubble on the ground.

Saul screamed. He screamed like he'd never done before. Tyrol wasn't sure why, but it became very apparent that Tigh loved his wife. In a futile effort, men and women began trying to clear the rubble from over them.

Tyrol knew the next person he had to find was Laura Roslin. He moved round to see her home. Though covered in dirt, it was alright and still standing and he noticed Laura nearby, lending a hand to those who needed it.

President Baltar had been standing at his window when the bombers flew over. His rage and anger was more than ever. Being deceived was worse the second time around. He had been promised an extra two days before anything would happen.

"WHY?" He exclaimed.

"Because it was necessary Gaius," a voice said, "You weren't going to find her; we were simply trying to lure her out."

"By killing innocent people?" Gaius screamed.

"By any means necessary."

Gaius ran at her. He was willing to kill the woman. She had cost him everything, not once but now twice. This would always be considered to be upon his head, no matter the consequences.

However, Six was ready. She turned to her side and simply hit him hard across the head. He fell to the ground. Mechanical Cylons appeared in the doorway. They lifted him and carried him out to a waiting ship. He was loaded on board and the ship took off.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The Fleet – Battlestar Galactica

Helo was subdued. Adama noticed this the second he walked onto the deck. Obviously whatever happened between him and Sharon had hurt him deeply. He left to visit her soon after talking to him. For less than two hours, he was off the Galactica. However, he soon returned. He had been quiet since.

Now wasn't the time however, Adama needed everyone at their peak but he was worried that if he brought this up, so close to their time of attack, it would affect him greatly. Therefore, Adama moved silently past him. He walked over to the phone attached to the table and lifted it to his ear.

"This is Admiral William Adama to all ships and personnel in the fleet. For too long, our brothers, sisters, parents, children and friends have been abandoned on New Caprica. The Cylons are holding the vast majority of what's left of our race. It will not stand. Over a year ago, this fleet was split up. We, not me, not any singular man or woman, we brought the fleet back together. Our family; and we will do it again. In just under four hours, we will be executing the battle plan. I need everyone in positions and ready in three. I know I'm asking a lot of you all but I've had the honour to serve with you all and I know every last one of you is up to this challenge. Godspeed and good luck."

He looked around at his bridge officers, he noticed Lt. Agathon exit the Command deck and his replacement take his place. As he turned, visually inspecting every crewman who he could see, they all met his eyes with their own personal look of defiance, fear or anticipation. Bill wondered whether he was displaying his feelings. He severely hoped not. Showing emotion wasn't the role of an officer on duty and as such, minus the odd smile or laugh, he tried to keep a straight face and a level head; despite the fact that on occasions such as this, he was as scared as anyone else.

The Fleet – Battlestar Pegasus

Lee heard it. The call he had been expecting all day – the signal that meant that soon they would be there. The fire in his heart had returned; the feeling he had lost so long ago. They were going to take the fight back to the Cylons. There were more Basestars than they'd ever faced, not to mention masses of Cylon's in an occupation force. But Lee wasn't scared. He had something that he needed to get from this. Not only the thrill of battle that he had once felt, but the company of his colleague; no, friend, Kara. Though he doubted he'd ever be able to tell her, she was his guiding star. The only thing that made waking up each day special and since they'd fallen out, he had been so depressed. He knew that it wasn't really fair on Dee but then, love never seemed to be fair on everyone.

The Pegasus was the fortress; the main force behind their attack. They would be entering the combat zone first, hoping to block the planet from the Cylons, that way the Galactica could slip in, under their cover, and deliver the pilots. Being the more advanced of the two ships; Lee suspected that they would be the main target as well. When he looked around him, he could see in the faces of all his crew that they knew the same.

He walked over to the phone and lifted it.

"Ship-wide transmission – This is Commander Lee Adama, you've just heard the admiral. We're all here to do a job. Know yours, perform it well and you'll get out of this fine."

Lee put down the phone. He was aware that in comparison to his father's speech, his was much less inspirational. However, he got the message he wanted to across. They were about to enter the toughest battle yet. However, he didn't feel he could say anything more that would help. He had never acquired his father's skill at talking to people. The shy Lee Adama, the one who only spoke to those he knew, was very much still alive.

New Caprica

Kara watched as, one after one, people were brought down. They had received various injuries and it became clear that the Cylon's had opened fire upon the human population who were trying to help. Many who came down over someone's shoulders had received a fatal shot from a Cylon. Without thinking, Kara began to help sort the bodies.

Shereen's jaw dropped. What was happening? She shouldn't be shell-shocked. Far worse had happened to her. Why now? She was sickened by the sight and smell of death that now inhabited their tunnels.

"Kara!" A woman shouted loudly. In response, Kara spun around. There, standing unharmed was Laura Roslin. "I know I'm hardly a military tactician but the Cylon's have opened fire up there, I say we get people at the entrance armed, they can fight whilst other teams find people and bring them down here. There should be room."

"That could work." Kara said. "But, I want to be a part of this. Give me a gun and let me get to the door. This was my fault Ma'am, I'll be damned if I have to sit it out in here."

"I understand." The ex-president leant back and grabbed a weapon from a cabinet. She handed it to Kara and with a slight smile, sent her off to the doorway.

People poured in. They kept coming. Like the Cylons, who were now openly bombing, probably in the hope that it would damage the tunnels integrity, causing a collapse. Luckily, the tunnels were under construction from before the time the Cylon's arrived and were as strong as could be needed.

Across the town, a group of civilians were hiding in an area of housing. They were scared, cold and unsure of what they were going to do. With them was a woman with her child.

"Excuse me Ms, we need to get your baby someplace safer and soon." Someone told her.

"Don't worry," she said "Hera's a tough baby, she'll be okay."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

New Caprica

An explosion rocked the end of the street. The baby began to cry. One of the two men in the hut drew his gun; he held it up and peered around the table. A shot ricocheted off of the wall. As quickly as he could, he pulled back around the edge.

"There are four of them, just down the road. We can't move until they've gone." He said. Clearly, he was worried about the baby, as he kept looking over to check on it. It was being amazingly quiet. The baby was definitely special; there was something he just couldn't place about it.

He looked up at the woman holding it, she was covered in dirt and she looked very tired, yet still she clung to her baby. The man walked over to her, leaving the table for the first time in almost two hours.

"Miss, are you sure you're alright. We may be in here for a while and if there's anything you need, please, tell me." The man said.

With a slight laugh, the woman replied "Sir, if you can stop the Cylons, go ahead, otherwise, no, can't think of anything."

The man laughed. He turned around and collapsed - Shortly followed by the three others at the table. The woman screamed as she realised what had happened. Three metal Cylons entered the room, followed by a tall, bleached blonde woman.

"That baby belongs to us," the blonde said, "Give her to me and I'll let you live."

The woman looked down, her baby was crying. Staring hard at her, then at the Cylon, she made her choice.

"You'll have to kill me first." She told the Cylon in a last act of defiance.

"I was hoping you wouldn't say that." Said the Cylon.

From outside, gunshots and screams could be heard. Then, the female Cylon exited, carrying the infant in a cloth. She climbed onto another ship and left, to join Gaius on the lead Basestar in orbit.

Kara looked up, above her, she could see another shuttle flying over. That was the second in a short time. She wondered what was going on. Three more people ran past her and into the bunker. She watched as a large group of people came running down the main street. Kara looked behind them and she began to scream at them. What she had noticed was a group of Cylons, armed and about to fire. The men and women were unaware of what they were about to face. The Cylons were going to shoot civilians in the back as they ran.

As they got close, the Cylon's opened fire. The entire group fell to the ground within half a minute. Kara screamed and began to fire wildly into the Cylon group. She hit one before being pulled down into the base.

"It's too late Kara," someone told her, "They're gone and the Cylon's have taken the entrances. We need to seal this." Starbuck never imagined she would die like this; caged like an animal and waiting for her death. Yet still, she knew she had to hold onto the slight beacon of hope that they would survive. As the hatch slammed shut, Kara turned to see what it was that they had all managed to save. Of the people that had died, Kara knew six. She didn't know whether that was a blessing or a sign of the desperate situation they were all in. Even after having settled for so long, they hadn't all taken the time to get to know each other. She knew there were an awful lot of them, but then, an awful lot had been killed.

Ex-President Roslin approached her.

"Kara," she said softly, "Did you see Mr Baltar come through the hatch at any point?"

Kara wasn't sure. She didn't think so but so many people came through. Could she have missed him?

"I'm… I'm not sure Ma'am. He could've come through during the rush. Try asking Tyrol. He may know."

"He's busy at the moment ensuring that the Cylons don't get our hatches open. Thank you Kara, I'll just search myself."

"There are thousands of people down here." Kara said.

"And I will search them all, it will occupy my mind." Roslin replied.

Kara had the greatest respect for her at this point. To be able to concentrate on such a task at this time was something that Kara herself couldn't manage. She was used to being under fire but normally, there was a viper sitting comfortably around her. Though unsure how, Kara knew it was different.

"Ma'am," Kara said, "Good Luck."

Laura smiled and walked off down the tunnel.

The Fleet – Battlestar Pegasus

"This is Lee Adama to all stations. Be advised, there is now less than five minutes till we go in to the fire-zone. All pilots prepare for immediate deployment."

Lee put down the phone and then, turned to his command staff. All eyes were on him. They were all scared in their own way. Lee was terrified. Even with the combined force of the Pegasus and Galactica, they may not have enough firepower to take out even two Basestars. They were going up against at least 3.

Lee knew he had to at least say something – "Let's go to work" he said before swiftly moving over to the command area.

The Fleet – Battlestar Galactica

William Adama loved his son very much and watching the Pegasus make the first jump in would be the hardest thing he ever had to do. Yet he knew, Lee was the best man for the job and, if the human race was to fall there and then, he knew Lee had his best fighting chance on the Pegasus.

His command was always one based on respect for his fellow men, not asking them to do anything he wouldn't do himself. Yet now, in the moment it was most important, he found himself wondering if he would have the courage Lee and his crew had to summon to get their task done.

He then moved over to his shipwide intercom.

"In a little under five minutes, the Pegasus will commence their jump into the firing zone. A minute later, and we will enter too. All pilots and raptor crews must be ready for deployment immediately after we arrive in orbit. Good luck out there to you all."

Then, he placed the phone back onto the holder and moved himself over to the consoles. How was it that two Battlestars were going to take a planet, protect a fleet and take down the largest Cylon force that they'd faced?

Bill didn't care to think of it.


End file.
